Fuji have given me an opportunity to get an early hands-on review of the Fuji X-T3. The camera will ship in the UK from 20th September 2018 (In fact it was heavily implied that stock is already in place ready for sale in a number of stores)

The Fuji X-T3 is a promising upgrade to the Fuji X-T2 and handles very nicely. There are some example straight from camera JPGs at the end of this article.

Fuji X-T3 - If it ain’t broke don’t fix it

The X-T3 looks pretty much identical to the X-T2. There are some subtle changes including addressing the possibility of accidentally knocking the diopter or the exposure compensation dials. The Diopter now works much like the crown on a watch, pull out to adjust and push in to lock. The Exposure compensation dial has been shifted slightly inwards on the top of the body to reduce the chance of it turning as the camera is pulled from a bag. Overall the dials feel slightly larger and more robust than the X-T2 and the hand grip feels a little larger.

In use the camera feels noticeably snappier than the X-T2. The autofocus works well and latches on to subjects with ease even in low lighting situations.

Fuji X-T3 - Face and Eye Tracking

The Face and Eye Tracking seem to have benefitted in the upgrade from X-T2 to X-T3. I didn’t use these features very often on the X-T2 but in my time with the X-T3 I found that eye tracking was fast and effective. I recorded a short video clip (see below) where you can see the effect of eye tracking in practice during video recording.

Fuji X-T3 Eye Tracking Autofocus demonstration

Fuji X-T3 - Full Size JPG Examples

I took a number of photos with the X-T3 and have included some below for reference along with download links for the full-size JPGs. I used the 18-55mm ‘Kit’ lens as well as the pre-production version of the 8-16mm and 56mm f1.2

Fuji X-T3 - High ISO Example

I took this with my X-T3 - JPG at ISO 25600. The X-T3 and 35mm f2 did a pretty good job of grabbing focus in very low light.

Click on the image for a larger version. The noise is high and not noticeably cleaner than the X-T2 but that is to be expected to an extent.

Fuji X-T3 - Subject Tracking

I conducted an rather un-scientific test of subject tracking with the Fuji X-T3 and 56mm f1.2.

I locked focus onto the eye of a wooden duck and moved the camera in a roughly circular pattern. The X-T3 maintained lock on the subject and captured a sharp, correctly focused image for every shot. Animated GIF of the sequence below for fun

Fuji X-T3 Field Test - Santorini, Greece

I took the Fuji X-T3 on a recent trip to Santorini in Greece where I got an opportunity to capture the sun rising over the white rooftops.

I took a selection of bracketed JPGs using the Fuji Velvia Film Simulation and merged them into three HDR files using Aurora HDR 2019. I used Adobe Lightroom to stitch the three X-T3 HDR’s into a Panorama. Click on the image below for a larger version.

Fuji X-T3 HDR Example

Fuji X-T3 - Eterna Film Simulation Examples

Adobe have not updated their software to read X-T3 RAW files just yet so I have been shooting JPG using the ETERNA film simulation. Here are some examples in a gallery and a link to a full size un-edited JPG straight from camera